BERKELEY / Fire destroys warehouse used by Berkeley Rep

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, June 30, 2005

Smoke rises from a building used by Creedence Clearwater Revival as rehearsal space in the 1960s. Photo by Lotus Green, special to the Chronicle

Smoke rises from a building used by Creedence Clearwater Revival as rehearsal space in the 1960s. Photo by Lotus Green, special to the Chronicle

BERKELEY / Fire destroys warehouse used by Berkeley Rep

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A three-alarm fire in Berkeley on Wednesday night destroyed a warehouse used by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre to build stage sets.

The building at the corner of Fifth and Gilman streets also served as the rehearsal studio for the Creedence Clearwater Revival band in the 1960s, authorities said.

"It had a lot of sentimental value," said Terence Keane, spokesman for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, referring to its Creedence connection.

Two firefighters were burned battling the blaze, which began at about 7: 30 p.m. and was brought under control two hours later. The firefighters were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital, said Berkeley Deputy Fire Chief David Orth.

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Keane said the Berkeley Repertory Theatre had rented the 7,500-square- foot warehouse for 15 years and used it to build more than 100 sets for shows. The theater was currently building sets for "Our Town" when the fire occurred, Keane said, adding that the upcoming season starts in September.

"We're going to be scrambling," Keane said. "We already get by by the skin of our teeth."

Keane said the theater was insured. There was no one working in the warehouse at the time of the fire, Keane said.

Because the warehouse was filled with paint, chemicals and other carpentry materials, a lot of popping could be heard during the fire, but there were no explosions, Orth said.

He said there was water damage, and possibly smoke damage, to the buildings on each side of the warehouse: a North Face outlet and a machine shop.

Two other fires in the Bay Area on Wednesday burned homes in San Jose and in Marin County, near the Sonoma County line, authorities said. In the Marin County fire, a house on Seavey Lane was destroyed by a fire that began at about 7 p.m. In San Jose, a grass fire spread to a house.